PUKEITI, TŪPARE AND HOLLARD GARDENS ARE GOLD

They are the only three Taranaki visitor attractions rated gold, which is awarded to recognise commitment to protecting the natural environment, enhancing connections with local communities, and delivering a quality, safe experience for all visitors. Each garden was independently evaluated by Qualmark.

“A lot of hard work is behind this achievement,” says Greg Rine, Regional Gardens Manager for the Taranaki Regional Council, which owns and manages the gardens on behalf of the people of the region. “We are continually striving not only to make the gardens a better experience for visitors, but also to ensure we’re following best practice in all our services and internal processes.”

He says garden visitor numbers continue to grow and the new gold awards underscore their status as significant attractions in a region whose tourism potential is becoming more economically important.

“Our gardens are up there with the best,” says Greg. “These Gold Sustainable Tourism Awards are designed to identify operators leading the way in making New Zealand a world-class sustainable visitor destination.
“We’re proud to have earned this status and we’re determined to make the gardens even better.”